La Vieille Ferme de la Moussiere A building steeped in history

La Vieille Ferme de la Moussiere is one of the oldest buildings in St Jean d'Aulps and the Morzine area. Built in 1714, at a time when La Moussiere was the administrative heart of the whole region, the imposing stone building originally housed the village police station, courthouse and jail. Remnants of the jail cells can still be seen in the ground floor "cave".

The 1800s

On 12 March 1823, a fire ravaged the parish church of La Moussière. The town council held a meeting at La Vieille Ferme and the villagers plotted to plunder the Abbey d'Aulps (the remains of which still stand on the opposite side of the village) to steal their stone to rebuild the church. They staged a successful gunpowder plot and the recovered materials were used to rebuild the burnt-out church, improve the roads, and to erect several private houses around La Moussiere square. Some of the stone was used to clad the top floor of the chalet, which had previously been clad with timber.

The 1900s

In the 1900s the building was owned by one of the 4 prominent local French farming families. They added various outbuilding to their plot and kept a variety of livestock. La Vieille Ferme has also housed, at various times over the last century, a restaurant, cafe and tabac.

The 2000s

When we planned our move to France in 2008 we were originally searching for a much more modest property and never dreamed of owning such a unique home. The moment we stepped inside we fell in love with the old house - so full of character and charm. We took the huge step of selling up in the UK and buying the ancient, derelict house.

At that time there was no proper kitchen, no bathrooms (only a toilet and shower in an outbuilding), heating (other than a log burning stove) and only 2 of the rooms had been inhabited for the previous 50 years. We were still working full-time in London to save towards the renovations and spent a year renting a tiny flat travelling to France for every weekend and holiday to work on the house.

Money was tight so we needed to get the chalet habitable and open for business as soon as possible. After buying the house on 1 January 2008, we set up a basic website and took out first booking for New Year week 2008/09. The race was on to completely renovate the huge building and create a chalet business within 12 months.

A new life

With the help of family and friends, we did it! We quit our "safe and secure" jobs in London, renovated our lovely house, started a completely new lift in the Alps, and have never looked back! We'll never forget our first Christmas "test run" with a chalet full of family who were still helping to paint walls, varnish floors and fit the kitchen in between skiing and sampling our first ever chalet menu. We were fully booked for our first New Year week had a fantastic time seeing in 2009 with the lovely Campbell and Cooke families who we will always remember fondly. Almost 10 years on, with a further 2 chalets in Morzine and the addition of 2 cats, 1 dog and 2 children to the family, we love our life in Morzine. Each year we look forward to welcoming back returning guests (now more like friends!) and introducing new visitors to our little slice of Alpine heaven. We have many more plans for expansion and improvements in the future so watch this space for news on the next step...

The prices shown are for 7-nights catered ski accommodation from Saturday to Saturday (unless otherwise stated). Exclusive use prices give you sole occupancy of the chalet for a group of up to 10 people. For larger groups, additional charges will apply.

We offer a £75 discount for children aged 2-12 eating from the 2-course children’s menu.

Babies (under age 2, sleeping in a cot) are charged at £125 per week. Please note that you should bring your own baby food. If your baby would like a full kids' menu, the child price will apply.

Exclusive use prices give you sole occupancy of the chalet for up to 14 adults. Please email us for a bespoke quote for larger groups (up to 18 people) or if there are children in your party.

The adult category 2 and category 3 prices apply to adults sharing one of our suites. Each suite consists of 2 bedrooms and a private bathroom. For adults sharing 2 per bedroom in a suite, the category 2 price applies. For adults sharing 3 (or 4) per bedroom in a suite, the category 3 price applies.

We offer discounts for children aged 2-12 eating from the 2-course children’s menu

Babies (under age 2, sleeping in a cot) are charged at £125 per week. Please note that you should bring your own baby food. If your baby would like a full kids' menu, the child price will apply.

3 night short-breaks are possible from Sunday to Wednesday or Thursday to Sunday. Prices can be seen above.

4 night short-breaks are possible from Sunday to Thursday or Wednesday to Sunday. Prices can be seen above.

Other short break options may be possible – please enquire. Alternatively you might want to consider staying at our short break chalet – La Vieille Ferme de la Moussiere.

We offer both half-board and bed and breakfast accommodation at La Vieille Ferme. The prices shown here are for 7-nights catered ski accommodation from Sunday to Sunday (unless otherwise stated). Exclusive use prices give you sole occupancy of the chalet for up to 15 people. For short break prices, have a look at the Short Breaks tab

The bedrooms at La Vieille Ferme are huge and most can comfortably sleep 3, 4 or even 5 people. We offer a reduced price to adults sharing 3+ to a room.

We offer discounts for children aged 2-12 eating from the 2-course children’s menu. A further discount is also available if the children share a family room with 2 full-paying adults.

Babies (under age 2, sleeping in a cot) are charged at £125 per week. Please note that you should bring your own baby food. If your baby would like a full kids' menu, the child price will apply.

Short Breaks (At La Vieille Ferme de la Moussiere)

We offer both half-board and bed and breakfast accommodation at La Vieille Ferme. Arrivals are possible on any day of the week and short breaks are welcome. The table shows our short-break B&B prices per person based on 2 people sharing a room.

We offer 20% off for children (or 40% off if they share a family room with 2 full-paying adults)

We aslo offer 30% off for the 3rd (and subsequent) adult(s) in any room.

B&B guests can upgrade to half-board on as many nights as they like for an additional £25 pppn (£15 for children eating from the kids menu).

Self Catering Prices (at all of our chalets)

We can offer self-catering at all of our chalets at certain times of year (generally early and late in the winter season). Please see prices below for the periods currently available. If you are interested in a self-catering quote for any other time of year please get in touch to discuss possibilities.

Summer Prices (At La Vieille Ferme de la Moussiere)

We offer self-catering, half-board or bed & breakfast accommodation in the summer months. Arrivals are possible on any day of the week and short breaks are welcome. We can also organise bespoke multi-activity holidays. Please see the village activities,multi activity, walking and mountain biking sections for further details on the kind of activity holidays that we can arrange, or contact us if you would like a quote for a bespoke package.

Catering Type

Price

Notes

Self-Catering

£200

Exclusive use of the chalet, per night, for up to 10 people. Additional charge of £15pppn for extra guests.

Other Activities

Our Services

Let us arrange all of the little extras that turn a good skiing holiday into a fantastic skiing holiday. Our bespoke, personal service will ensure that every detail of your holiday is arranged specifically with you and your party in mind. Our small, friendly team will be on hand to answer your questions both before and after you arrive in Morzine and will organise everything you need for a great holiday. Airport transfers, ski shuttles, ski passes, ski equipment, ski lessons and childcare can all be taken care of so all you need to do is relax and enjoy your stay. If you are celebrating a birthday, honeymoon or other special occasion just let us know and we can arrange those little extras (flowers, champagne, cake) that make a day to remember. If you are travelling with children, have a look at our Kids section to see why our chalets are all great choices for families.

Food & Drink

Food is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of a catered ski chalet holiday. We pride ourselves on the quality of our catering and are passionate about the menus that we deliver.

Ski Passes

Ski Equipment

We will fit your ski equipment as soon as you arrive in the comfort of your chalet. Why queue in an overcrowded ski shop when you could be enjoying a glass of champagne whilst chatting to our knowledgable team?